Family's stolen car, Christmas gifts found

December 23, 2006

GARY (AP) -- Christmas wasn't stolen from Walter Mason and his family after all. The Gary man had his 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity -- and the $700 worth of gifts he and his wife had purchased for their five children -- stolen Monday evening while he was inside a pizzeria awaiting his order. Mason said he and his wife, Barbara, received an outpouring of phone calls and support from friends, co-workers and even strangers who offered gifts and money. "It's amazing how many great people there are in this world," Mason said. One of those phone calls, from an employee at the He Ain't Here bar in Lake Station, led to his finding his car and all the gifts inside, he said. "I got my kids' Christmas back -- it's a beautiful thing," he said. Bartender Jackie Handley, whose call led to the return of the car, said she saw the car behind the bar Wednesday night, then read about the family. She and another bartender then contacted Barbara Mason at work and, later, Walter Mason was able to confirm the car was his, the Masons said.